Glossary: O
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- Oirish
- Derogatory term for any `stage-Irish' or stereotypical behaviour put on for the purposes of ingratiating oneself with or obtaining money from foreigners. See leprechaun, sense (ii).
- One
-
Often pronounced "wan"; a person of the female sex. Usually qualified,
e.g. "young one", "oul' one".Note
the use of the article:
"A young one" or "An oul' one"
can refer to any young or old female of the speaker's acquaintance, but
"the young one" refers to the speaker's
girlfriend or daughter, while "the oul' one"
refers to his wife or his or her mother. (This is a common feature of
Irish speech, using "the" rather than a possessive
pronoun like "my" or "your". "How's the
brother?" "He's grand, but the sister has me tormented.")
See fella.
- One-and-one
- (Dublin) Often pronounced "wan an' wan", a one-and-one is the standard order in a chipper, that is, a portion of fish and a portion ("single") of chips. Supposedly arose because, when chippers first appeared in Ireland, they were run by Italian immigrants who didn't speak much English, so customer and proprietor had to resort to sign language: "one of them and one of them".
- Opening hours
-
Until recently, pubs were open until 11:30pm Monday-Saturday and until 11:00pm
on Sunday
evenings during summertime (roughly May-October) and until 11:00pm at
other times of the year. All pubs close for two hours on Sunday
afternoon; this was called the Holy Hour.
New legislation has liberalised the situation somewhat. Pubs are now allowed to stay open until 12:30am on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, and 11:30pm every other night of the week. The Holy Hour on Sunday has been abolished.
- Orange Order
-
A Unionist, Protestant sectarian organisation, most often
associated with Northern Ireland, but with
lodges in the Republic and worldwide. Named
after King William of Orange, the Protestant king who defeated the Catholic
King James II at the Battle of the Boyne. The cliché Orangeman--
the viciously incorrigible anti-Catholic bigot, attired in sash and bowler hat,
defending his right to march where he's not wanted--
is a common bogeyman in Republican propaganda.
Despite professing loyalty to the Crown of Great Britain, most governments could do without the sort of activities that the Orange Order engage in to profess their loyalty. As far back as 1813, their carry-on was described as
a spurious and illiberal loyalty which grows up amongst the vulgar classes, and which is very turbulent, bigoted, riotous and affronting, very saucy, and overbearing, almost proud of transgression, necessarily producing exasperation, and often leading to the effusion of blood.
Baron Smith, in a letter to Sir William Gregory, 4 September 1813. Quoted in Modern Ireland 1600-1972 by R.F. Foster - Ossified
- see drunk.
- Oul'
- Dublin pronunciation of "old".
- Our friends in the travelling community
-
Ironic term for the Travellers, an ethnic minority in Ireland, who live
in caravans and move from place to place (generally moved on by irate
homeowners). Like most minorities,
a lot of hand-wringing is done over what to call them. Like the `African-
Americans' in the US, no sooner is one politically-correct ephithet
coined to describe them, but it almost immediately becomes pejorative. The
term `itinerant' was used while this author was growing up, but has been
since declared to be beyond the pale. Irish people who don't give a shit about PC
refer to travellers as tinkers or
knackers. The Travellers have their own language
called Sheldru, which, like most native languages, is in decline. They
have large close-knit families; arranged marriages
are still common, and feuds between families can get quite vicious. Many
are illiterate, alcholism is common, and their life expectancy is far
lower than that of the "settled community".
They make their living dealing in scrap and begging.
Any foreign visitor in Ireland subjected to a self-congratulatory monologue by an Irish bore on what a charitable and Christian country Ireland is should immediately ask for that person's opinions on the Travellers. You will be subjected to a fearsome barrage of bile and blind hyprocrisy that will keep you chuckling long after you return to your native shores.
© 2003 BeerAndLoathing



